Malcolm Jenkins Runs a Slow 40

Last week we noted that Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins needed to run a good 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine if he wanted to prove he had shutdown corner speed. Today Jenkins ran, and he did not deliver.

Jenkins reportedly ran in the 4.52 to 4.58 range, which is on the slow end for NFL cornerbacks. He hoped to run a sub-4.5 40, and his failure to get into the 4.4s could have teams re-thinking whether he can play cornerback in the NFL.

Of course, the 40-yard dash is just one of many measurements used at the combine, and the combine itself is nowhere near as important to NFL teams as evaluating how players look on film. But Jenkins was probably the single player in this entire draft who had the most to gain from a good showing at the combine, and instead he has probably fallen a little bit on most teams' draft boards.

Jenkins was a four-year starter at Ohio State and a three-time All-Big Ten selection. Going into the combine, he was widely viewed as a top 10 pick and the top cornerback in the draft, ahead of Vontae Davis of Illinois and D.J. Moore of Vanderbilt.